Book Trailer for Wrong Number

It's here! My book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Wrong Number is ready to view.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out.
Jeff Christensen from Tattered Page Multimedia.com put it all together and he did a fabulous job taking the script I wrote and creating the trailer.

You can watch it here. If you like it, feel free to leave a comment here or rate it on YouTube.



Wrong Number is available for a killer deal, pre-order now at
Amazon
Borders
Barnes & Noble
Also, here's the direct URL to the book trailer for Wrong Number http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5X0T59a9E
Would you like someone to design your book trailer, family video, picture collage, etc? You can contact Jeff at jrlinux AT aol.com

A Black Cat Crossed My Path

Over the past month, a black cat has crossed my path every day and I'm happy about that.
Good thing I'm not superstitious!

My brother and his family moved clear across the country and asked if I would like to adopt his cat. At first, I wasn't sure what to do. We already had a tomcat that someone had dropped off when we first moved into this house.

I talked to my husband and we decided that maybe we should go ahead and get our cat neutered since he had become a permanent fixture. We loved Tigger and he was so friendly with the kids.
I arranged with my brother to go and pick up his cat. About a week before this was to happen, Tigger disappeared.
It was right around the time of a huge snowstorm that we got in December--it dumped about 16 inches in 2 days.
Tigger is one of those cats that would show up day or night every time we went outside. If it was in the middle of the night and one of my kids had an attack of croup. I'd take them out to breathe the cool night air and within minutes, Tigger would show up, purring and rubbing against my legs.

Tigger didn't come back.
We were sad. We don't know what happened, but have a hunch about huge snowplows clearing roads, perhaps?

I told my husband that Tigger must have overheard us talking about getting him neutered and he decided it was time to head for the hills.
But seriously, we will miss Tigger.

And so it was nice that a week after one cat's disappearance, we adopted another.
Meet Bagheera.

If you've seen The Jungle Book, then you know where his name came from. It definitely fits. He is sleek, completely black, and already a favorite.

Bagheera is just as friendly and loving as our other cat. If he hears us in the front room, he goes to the front door and meows.


So, like I said. A black cat crosses my path every day. He looks at me with knowing eyes, meows, rubs against my leg, and purrs. And we're taking good care of him because we love cats.
If you don't like cats, I feel sorry for you, but thanks for letting me share anyway. If you do like cats, thanks for letting me post this memorial/welcome in honor of our feline friends.
Farewell, Tigger.
Bagheera, I'm thinking black cats are pretty lucky.

The Winner of Zion's Promise by Chris Jefferies

We have a winner!
Congratulations to Connie Hall--Random.org picked you as the winner of Zion's Promise by Chris Jefferies

I will mail you your free book. Thanks to everyone who entered.

I'm looking forward to our next giveaway.

First Chapter of Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen

I'm excited to share the first chapter of my upcoming book with you. I'd love to know what you think.
Enjoy!

This work is copyrighted and is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Wrong Number.
For more details and ordering info, click here.

CEDAR FORT, INC.
Unauthorized distribution prohibited

WRONG NUMBER

Written by Rachelle J. Christensen

Chapter 1

Aubree dug through a pile of papers on the kitchen counter, searching for her cell phone. She finally noticed the familiar silver gleam under a stack of bills. She grabbed the phone, flipped it open, and groaned. The battery was dead.

“My cell phone died again!” Aubree yelled up the stairs. She heard Devin muttering as he climbed out of bed. Plugging the phone in, she watched the empty battery image flash red and frowned. “I can’t wait for it to charge.”

Devin poked his head around the corner. “How many times have I told you to pick up one of those car chargers?” He ran his fingers through the matted portion of his curly hair and yawned.

Aubree smiled at his disheveled hair and then rolled her eyes. “I know. I know.” She tapped her foot. “Can I take your phone today?”

“Sure honey, no problem. I charged it last night.”

“Thanks. I brought the paper in for you.” She tapped the front page. “I’ll read it tonight after you’ve marked it up.”

Devin whistled at her just before she opened the door. “Love you, babe.”

Aubree turned and smiled at her husband. “Love you, too.” She blew him a kiss and stepped out into the crisp morning air.

She unlocked the door to her car and climbed inside, pulled the seat belt over her bulging belly and took a deep breath—seven months pregnant and still fighting morning sickness. Whenever she was too rushed in the morning, her stomach churned. With another deep breath, she backed her car out of the driveway.

She glanced out the window, and her blue eyes narrowed at the sun, wishing it would go into hibernation for a while. The freckles sprinkled across her nose and arms had multiplied over the summer. Aubree brushed her strawberry-blonde hair away from her face and smiled when she felt her baby move.

As she drove along the busy highway to her real estate office, she turned on Devin’s phone and changed the ring tone to a louder setting. She was about to dial into her phone’s system to have all of her calls forwarded to Devin’s cell, when it rang. The traffic light at the intersection turned red suddenly, and the ringing phone slipped from her hand as she stepped on the brake. Lifting it back to her ear, she heard a harsh voice.

“Tidmore did the job, and the body is hidden in the manhole on 32^nd street like we talked about. By the time they find him, we’ll be in the green. The intruder will clear the way.” The words were followed by a gruff cackle. Aubree’s heart raced. If Devin was playing some kind of trick on her, it wasn’t funny.

“Hey, don’t I at least get a congrats? What’s up with you? I even kept his uniform for you.”

Aubree cleared her throat. She was about to speak when a horn blared behind her. The light had turned green. She pressed the gas pedal and said, “I think you have the wrong number.” The other line went silent. She looked down at the phone and saw that the call had ended.

The man’s voice echoed in her head… “the body is hidden…32^nd street…” She felt the blood pulsing in her ears, and her hands trembled. Maybe it was a prank call; people were always pulling stupid jokes on each other like that.

Aubree pulled her car to the side of the road. She dialed the number to her house, hoping Devin would answer. After four rings, it went to the answering machine, and she hung up. He might be in the shower, or maybe he had left early for work. She looked at the dashboard clock— 7:30 a.m. Devin never left that early. She dialed her own cell number. It went straight to her answering service. The battery hadn’t charged enough yet.

She pulled out a mini-phonebook from under her seat and found the listing for the police department. Hoping she wasn’t being paranoid, she dialed the number and willed herself to sound calm.

“San Diego Police Department, how may I help you?” a woman’s voice greeted her.

“I just received a strange phone call, and I’m not sure if it was a prank. The man said something about hiding a body, and I’m worried.”

“Did you recognize the caller’s number?” the dispatcher asked.

“No, he called my cell phone and I—”

“Did it sound like anyone you know?”

Aubree frowned. “No, I think it was a wrong number.”

“What’s your name?”

“Aubree Stewart.”

“And your birth date?”

“I’m twenty-eight, I mean—uh,” Aubree bit the end of her fingernail. “Look, I’m on my way to work right now, and I’m running behind. Maybe it was a prank. I wasn’t sure what I should do.”

“That’s okay ma’am. We can have an officer check things out.”

“If you think it’s necessary,” Aubree said.

“Ma’am if you think this is anything more than a prank call, it is necessary.”

“Okay, the man said the body was hidden in a manhole on 32^nd street.” Aubree closed her eyes and tried to control the shiver moving up her spine.

“I’ll contact the officer on duty in that area and have him check it out,” the dispatcher said.

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Don’t worry. Give me your phone number and work address, and if we have any more questions, a detective will contact you.”

Aubree gave the dispatcher her information and hung up the phone. She felt even more nervous than before. What if there really was a dead body? Would she be a suspect? Shaking her head, she gripped the steering wheel. Maybe she was overreacting.

She dialed the number to Devin’s office and hung up when his answering machine came on. She didn’t want to leave a message and have him worry about her, so she shoved the phone into her purse and pulled her car back into the hectic morning traffic.

An uneasy feeling shadowed her all the way to the office. It probably was a prank call, but the way the man had laughed disturbed her.

Aubree called a couple of her clients and made appointments for showings later in the afternoon. She twirled a pencil between her fingers, re-checking the details of a home for sale. It was difficult to stay on task when the man’s gruff voice and horrible laugh kept echoing in her head.

At ten o’clock she called Devin again but still couldn’t reach him. She pushed the papers into a pile on her desk and gazed out the window. When someone knocked on her office door, she jumped.

The secretary, Carla, poked her head in and whispered, “There’s a police officer outside, and he says he needs to talk to you.”

Aubree’s pulse accelerated. “Did he say what it was about?”

“No. Are you okay?”

“I think so.” Aubree tried to remember to breathe. She got up slowly and walked out of her office. A husky policeman with graying hair stood with a frown at the front desk.

“I’m Aubree Stewart.” She tried to ignore the click and grind of the fax machine as it ran out of paper. She noticed the lines and wrinkles on his face, and guessed him to be in his late fifties.

“Mrs. Stewart, I’m Officer Haskins.” He offered his hand, and Aubree shook it. Her palms felt like she’d just taken off a pair of winter gloves, or maybe his were just unusually cold.

“I wonder if you could come down to the precinct with me to answer a few questions.”

“Why?” Aubree felt the blood draining from her face. She noticed bits of sunlight reflecting from his gold-toned watch from the skylight above.

The officer lowered his voice. “It’s about the phone call you received this morning.”

“Did they find a body?” Aubree said. Carla gasped.

“I’d rather not say too much until we reach the station. Can you come with me?”

Aubree’s heart pounded in her ears. She put a hand to her temple and glanced at the couch in the waiting area, wondering if she could make it there before she fainted. The officer moved toward her in alarm, staring at her protruding stomach.

“You’d better lie down for a minute and take some deep breaths. It’s dangerous for the baby if you pass out.” He helped her to the couch, and Carla brought her a bottle of water.

“Do you want me to call your husband?” she asked.

Aubree nodded and took a sip of the water. Her neck felt hot and clammy. She took a few deep breaths. “Carla, can you get my purse from my office? I’m going to go with this officer. Cancel my appointments for the day.”

The officer knelt beside the couch. “I’m sorry to have frightened you that way.” He cleared his throat. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I have a weak stomach and well…” Aubree patted her belly and tried not to look as miserable as she felt. Her mind kept clicking through scenarios that would explain why the police officer had come to her office. What if they had found a body, and now they thought she had something to do with it?

Carla handed Aubree her purse and a damp paper towel for her forehead. “I can’t reach your husband, but I’ll keep trying.”

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Do you need to call your doctor?” Carla helped Aubree to her feet.

“No, no, I’ll be fine.” She concentrated on breathing as the officer helped her to his patrol car, and she wondered where Devin could be. It was usually easy to reach him at work. Aubree thought of the computer programs her husband helped write and repair and she smiled. Maybe he was listening to some 80s band on his iPod—working “without interruption.” Aubree shook her head and hurried to follow the police officer.

Officer Haskins walked a couple paces in front of her and she noticed he limped slightly, favoring his right leg. He told Aubree they needed a brief statement from her and tried to reassure her. As she leaned back into the seat, she wondered what kind of trouble she faced.

The drive to the police station only took about fifteen minutes, and Aubree tried to think of something to calm her nerves. It was hard to concentrate on anything besides the police radio which periodically barked reports amid static. She could hear a lot of commotion going on as they neared the station and the phrase, “10-85 echo, echo confirmed,” was repeated several times. She didn’t understand the code, but Officer Haskins kept leaning forward to listen, the fibers of his neck stretching with tension. She wondered if the police chatter had something to do with the call she reported earlier.

When the patrol car came to a stop, Aubree undid her seatbelt with shaking hands. Officer Haskins helped her out of the car. She followed him inside the precinct and blinked as her eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight outdoors to the fluorescent lights of the waiting area.

“Come this way,” Officer Haskins said.

Aubree took a few steps to follow him, but stopped abruptly and gasped as she felt a brief pain shoot across her abdomen. She winced and held her stomach.

“Are you okay?” Haskins asked.

Biting her lip, she nodded.

“We’re just going to the end of this hall, and then you can sit down.”

“I think I better use the restroom first.” She pointed at the sign for the women’s bathroom, and he nodded. Aubree hurried inside and locked the stall. As she dialed Devin’s work number on the cell phone and listened to it ring, her lip trembled—he still wasn’t answering. She’d never been inside a police station before, and she wished Devin could be there. Pausing in front of the bathroom door, she waited for the rising fear to subside.

She tried to reassure herself of her innocence and the validity of her story. She wasn’t guilty of anything and had nothing to hide, but Officer Haskins was treating her like a suspect. What if he didn’t believe she’d heard about a dead body because of a wrong number? The truth was all she had to rely on and she couldn’t linger in the bathroom, so she decided to face her fears head on.

Opening the door, she smiled at Haskins and walked with him down the hall. A colorful boondoggle hung from his cell phone case, and Aubree surmised that under his crusty exterior, there was a grandpa on the verge of retirement.

Near the end of the hall, Haskins opened a beat-up metal door. Aubree shrank back before taking a step inside the interrogation room. It didn’t look exactly like the movies. The walls were painted light blue, and the furniture looked comfortable, yet worn. When she saw another officer sitting at the end of a rickety table, she swallowed several times.

He stood and extended his hand. “I’m Detective Rawlings. I’d like to get some more details on the phone call you received today.”

“Do I need a lawyer?” Aubree asked.

I never thought one drop of water could be so cool

My parents just sent me a link to this short video which shows a water droplet at 2000 frames per second. You have to check it out. It is so amazing!

Isn't the earth miraculous? Everything, even one tiny drop of water, testifies of God's creation.

Beat the Winter Blahs Giveaway

Go enter this awesome giveaway at Cami Checkett's blog
To help you beat the winter blahs this January she had an amazing giveaway list. The books that you could win:

January 2nd - 101 Gourmet Cupcakes by Wendy Paul
January 4th - Where the Wind Blows by Caroline Fyffe
January 6th - Guided By Him…to a Thinner, Not So Stressed-Out You by Julie Morris
January 8th - Chickens in the Headlights by Matthew Buckley
January 9th - Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena
January 11th - Altered Plans by Rebecca Talley
January 13th - My Son, John by Kathi Macias
January 15th - Discipline Me Right by Mary Simmons
January 16th - The Sister Pact by Cami Checketts
January 18th - Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
January 20th - Methods of Madness by Stephanie Black
January 22nd - Altered State by Gregg Luke
January 23rd - A Tapestry of Spells by Lynn Kurland
January 25th - Women of Virtue by Jodi Robinson
January 27th - Torn Apart by Diony George
January 28th - The Pigpen by Kevin Krogh
January 29th - All the Stars in Heaven by Michele Holmes
January 30th - Love Your Body by Brooke Parker

There's still time to enter because each book giveaway is open for 2 weeks. Good luck!

First Chapter Coming

I have permission from my publisher to post the first chapter of Wrong Number!
I'm preparing the post and I'm excited to see what you'll think of the first chapter.
Oooh, the suspense!

One Lovely Blog Award

One of my awesome writer friends, Cami Checketts, gave me this award. Cami is the author of The Sister Pact, which I just finished reading. It's a great suspense novel--check it out!

I love blog awards, they're lots of fun and give me more reasons to blog. :)

I now have the honor of passing on this award to others in accordance with the following rules:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to up to 15 other blogs that you enjoy. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
I've made some great friends in blogland and there are many blogs to choose from. I will select 10 today.

Random-Ish by Nichole
C. Larene Hall
C.L. Beck
Queen of the Clan
Cheri Chesley
whynotbecauseisaidso
Christine Bryant
Rebecca Talley
Josi Kilpack
Jenn Wilks

Thanks to everyone for posting great quality on your blogs and enjoy your award!

Book Giveaway: Zion's Promise by Chris Jefferies

Happy January! It's time for the first book giveaway of the new year.
One of you lucky people can win your very own autographed copy of Zion's Promise, Volume Three: Amidst War's Alarms by Chris Jefferies

You can purchase all of Chris' books at his website: Zions Promise

Volume III: Amidst Wars Alarms

It is now 1862, and the Civil War is raging in the east. But Zion and many of its inhabitants do not escape the war. Adam Weldon, the son of the notorious outlaw Dick Weldon, is found innocent of complicity in his father's crimes. He and Laura Ould develop a mutual attraction and decide to marry, but first, Adam volunteers to drive a wagon in the Church's "down-and-back" wagon trains to bring indigent emigrants from Florence back to Zion. In Florence, Adam is asked to undertake a special mission to lead remnants of earlier Church settlements in Texas and Indian Territory to the Salt Lake Valley. Plunged into the midst of the Civil War in Indian Territory as he travels to gather the remnant Saints, Adam faces unexpected hazards as he is caught between the warring sides, and struggles to complete his mission.

Meanwhile, the withdrawal of Federal troops from Utah the year before has left the Territory exposed to rapidly escalating Indian attacks. To fill this void, the US Army sends a regiment of California Volunteers under Colonel Patrick Conner to the territory to protect the roads and telegraph, and to "keep an eye on the Mormons." Many in the Federal Government question Brigham Young's loyalty to the Union and fear he may join the Confederacy. Cyrus Wills, a Civil War veteran, is transferred to Connor's regiment. Born in Illinois near Nauvoo to a father who rode with the Carthage Greys against the Mormons, and a devout Mormon mother who died when he was young, he now finds himself amidst his mother's people and becomes deeply conflicted over the two sides of his heritage.

In Grantsville, William Jefferies and his fellow settlers continue their struggles to establish Zion in the western Utah desert. Faced with an influx of non-Mormons from remnants of nearby Camp Floyd, they find a Sodom and Gomorrah in their midst. A saloon, prostitution, and an illicit underground marriage brokerage to supply renegade polygamists confront the struggling settlement. They incorporate as a city in an effort to establish law and order, but the process brings many obstacles and challenges.

Will Adam successfully complete his special mission and return to his Laura? Will Cyrus be able to reconcile the conflict between his anti-Mormon and faithful Mormon heritage? Will Grantsville succeed in establishing a true Zion amidst the influences of Babylon? Volume Three will answer these questions.

How can you win this novel?

Book will only be shipped to US stateside address
Giveaway open from January 20-25, 2010--Winner will be announced January 26, 2010--if you're not easy to find, leave your email address 'cause I won't track you down.

• Leave a comment on this blog post and indicate which/or all of the following entries you've done
  
• Follow Rachelle's Writing Spot, Follow Rachellewrites on Twitter, subscribe to my feed
  

• Post about this contest on your blog. Please leave me a link or URL in your comment.

• Grab Rachelle's Writing Spot button from my left sidebar and put it on your blog.

• Facebook and/or Tweet this contest with linkbacks here
  
• Subscribe to Rachelle's newsletter: email RachellethewriterATgmail.com
• Become a fan of Rachelle J. Christensen--facebook page
• If you already follow, etc. just let me know in your comment
  

Thanks for entering this book giveaway sponsored by Rachelle's Book club! Stay tuned for more special announcements and another giveaway in February.

Family Record Keeper by Mary Greathouse

I was fortunate enough to win my own copy of this fantastic binder called Family Record Keeper compiled by Mary Greathouse. I've already started filling in my family's info and I love the Year in Review feature. I can keep this binder handy with all of my cookbooks (thanks for the tip, Mary) and pull it out anytime I'd like to update a special happening in my family. One of the things I like to keep track of is the pattern of illnesses my young children experience along with remedies I used to help them and whether they had to visit the doctor. I can keep all of this info in one central location.

I asked Mary to tell us a little bit about this must-have record keeper for every family and why she decided to create it
 Mary: I am the mother of seven and had a hard time keeping track of all the information I needed about my family. So I created this book to keep everything in one convenient place. I'm keeping it in with my cookbooks so I can find it easily.

What Family Record Keeper is: A three-ring binder to keep track of the records of each of your family members, all in one place.
There is a separate section for each family member, whether parent, child, grandparent, etc....you choose. It can be expanded for more family members or pages can be taken out that aren't relevant.

The first book section is for recording information needed in an emergency, including emergency contacts, meeting places, special instructions, utility shut-offs.
The next five sections are individual member sections and includes personal information and identification, records locations, health information, sacred ordinances and church callings, military, mission, marriage and family, education, jobs, homes, resume of you life experiences and things you'd like your family to know, plus more.

The last sections include room to list special occasion dates, school schedule, year in review pages for listing the significant events of the year as they happen (and you don't throw away with the calendar), addresses and extra note pages to insert where ever needed.

This is a helpful book for a young family, but my children are grown and I am using it to keep track of their families, moves, experiences, etc. I am also using it for myself and husband to keep track of our church callings and medical records. You could use it to keep track of aging parents, also. A military mom who moved a lot told me that it would be a great way to keep track of all their records through all their moves.

Customize to your needs

• Compact,  7" x 9"  3-ring binder with removable pages
• Add or remove pages to fit your needs
• Individual sections for 5 different family members, more individual sections available
• Each section includes 38 pages
• Emergency information section includes contact information, meeting places, special instructions, etc.
• Extra pages for  Special Occasions,  School schedules,
• Year in Review section to track major life events, year-by-year.
  
• Movable address pages
  
• Lots of extra note pages to move to where you need more record keeping room
• Emergency Preparedness.  Grab and go in an emergency,  all of your contact information and important record information  in hand

What a wonderful idea, Mary! Thank you so much.

You can purchase your own Family Record Keeper through Mary's Website or blog below.
www.familyrecordkeeper.com 
Mary's blog is www.marysgreathouse.blogspot.com

Free Books in 2010

To celebrate my love of books, I'll be giving away at least one book each month during the year of 2010! I already have a stack of great books selected to start me off, but if you would like to donate a book to my giveaway, drop me a line at RachellethewriterATgmail.com and tell me about your book.

Stay tuned to Rachelle's Writing Spot for more book reviews, writing tips, awesome giveaways, (a few rants), fun stuff, and more!

I've decided to create a post for Rachelle's Book Club here. You can check my sidebar for updates on books I've reviewed or you can click on this link to see all the reviews I've done on my blog so far.

Be on the lookout for some incredible events tied to the launch of my 2 books! In March, Wrong Number will be released and in May, Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage will be released.
Happy Reading!

BURNT BISCUITS

My mom sent this to me in an email and I wanted to post it here for you to enjoy. I don't know who wrote this, but it's one to remember.


When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.
And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long,
hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs,
sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to
see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my
mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that
night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and
eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember
hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never
forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits
burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at
work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt
anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect
people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and
anniversaries just like everyone else.



What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and
choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important
keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the
ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the
end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt
biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship.
In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or
parent-child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in
someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."

God Bless You.....
Now, and Always....

I'm so excited! Here's the cover of my new book, Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen

Woo-hoo! Didn't the awesome people at Bonneville Books do a great job? I love it!
What do you think?

Here's a little blurb for my book which is available for pre-0rder on Amazon.com and scheduled to be released March 8, 2010.

“I think you have the wrong number.”

When Aubree Stewart answers her cell phone on the way to work one day, she isn’t prepared for her life to change. Someone dialed a wrong number, a simple mistake. But the call changes everything when Aubree overhears information about the murder of a government official. Now she must run for her life as the caller tries to eliminate her.

Aubree is placed in the witness protection program, but when the FBI’s protection fails, she heads out on her own. She soon realizes she’ll never stop running until she can solve the mystery behind the wrong number. Unable to trust anyone but herself, she’s cautious about accepting the help of a Park Ranger named Wyatt Erickson. As she struggles to keep herself hidden from the enemy, she finds it harder to protect her heart.

Teeming with government plots, a dash of romance, and plenty of intrigue, Rachelle J. Christensen’s Wrong Number will have your heart pounding the next time the phone rings!

Story Time Felts Community Helpers Literature by Rachelle J. Christensen

I had so much fun last year creating the literature for 12 months of community helpers for Story Time Felts. I came up with original stories, poems, songs and other information to accompany more than 24 community helpers.

I wanted to share with you the darling illustrations by Jenni Sheffield and details for these community helpers.

Last year’s Community Helpers are now available for everyone. These are great for teachers, libraries and of course families! At 10" tall, the dolls are larger than our regular dolls and have clothing sets made specifically for them. We are selling the dolls and clothing sets separately as well as in a Community Helpers Collection. The Collection includes all four dolls and the twelve clothes sets which will cover 24 different community helpers!

Save over $40 on the collection!
8200 Community Helper Collection
Uncut 129.99, Pre-cut $164.99
Include four Community Helper Dolls, 24 Community Helper Clothes PLUS accessories, and lesson helps for all 12 sets.


80212--Greg $12.99     80211--Jason $12.99   80214--Brandi $12.99   80213--Kim $12.99

 
80215 Athlete/Umpire                          80216 Baker/Banker
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99                Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99

             
80217 Librarian/Mayor                         80218 Construction/Sanitation
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99                Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99

       


80219  Farmer/Fisherman                  802110 Doctor/Dentist
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99             Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99  



                 
802111 Fireman/Ranger                              802112 Teacher/Principal
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99                       Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99

    
802113  Artist/Photographer                  802114  Police/Conductor
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99                 Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99

        

802115 Astronaunt/Pilot                      802116  Postman/Delivery
Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99                Uncut $9.99, Pre-cut $12.99

You can visit the Story Time Felts website for more info or call 1-800-272-5641 to order.

Books Rachelle Read in 2009

Another year has come to a close and I've been busy with lots of wonderful books. Rachelle's Book Club added several more reviews that I hope you'll enjoy.
I could talk books forever, so please tell me what you think about some of the books on my list. I've also added a link to those books I reviewed.

I'm already scheduling reviews for this year, so if you'd like your book to be considered please email me at RachellethewriterATgmail.com

Now, I've got to hurry and get this list done so I can finish reading the first book on my list of 2010!
I'll add a disclaimer that just because I read all of these books, doesn't mean I loved them all--a few I would never recommend, but I'm just giving you my list. You can see my reviews to see which ones I liked and I also marked my favorites with **

1. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
2. Enna Burning-Shannon Hale **I love anything by this author!
3. Missing May- Cynthia Rylant
4. On Writing- Eudora Welty
5. Crocodile on the Sandbank- Elizabeth Peters
6. Make Me a Home- Tamra Norton
7. The Forgotten Warrior- Kathi Oram Peterson
8. Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli
9. The Watson's Go to Birmingham-1963- Christopher Paul Curtis
10. Lemon Tart- Josi Kilpack
11. Live Writing- Ralph Fletcher
12. Wildfire at Midnight- Mary Stewart
13. Blue Heaven- C.J. Box
14. The Curse of the Pharaohs- Elizabeth Peters
15. The Camelot Caper- Elizabeth Peters
16. Rainsong- Phyllis A. Whitney
17. The Midwife's Apprentice- Karen Cushman**
18. Seventh Heaven- Alice Hoffman
19. The Brothers- Chris Stewart**
20.Strangling Your Husband is Not an Option- Merrilee Boyack
21. The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton
22. All's Fair- Julie Bellon
23. The Believer- Stephanie Black**
24. The Great & Terrible Vol. 2 Where Angels Fall-- Chris Stewart **
25. Dragon Slippers- Jessica Day George **
26.Elijah of Buxton- Christopher Paul Curtis
27. The Great & Terrible Vol 3 The Second Sun- Chris Stewart
28. Fool Me Twice- Stephanie Black
29. Pickup Games- Marcia Mickelson
30. The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss
31. Fablehaven 4- Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary- Brandon Mull**
32. Illuminations of the Heart- Joyce DiPastena**
33. The Great & Terrible Vol 4 Fury & Light- Chris Stewart**
34. Organize as You Go- Marie Ricks
35. The Great & Terrible Vol 5 From the End of Heaven- Chris Stewart**
36. Loyalty's Web- Joyce DiPastena
37. The Great & Terrible Vol 6 Clear as the Moon- Chris Stewart
38. By Love or By Sea- Rachel Rager
39. No Way Out- Christine Kersey
40. The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins **
41. Abinadi- Heather Moore**
42. Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins**
43. When Love Blooms- Robin Lee Hatcher
44. The Independence Club- Rachel Ann Nunes
45. Am I Not a Man? Dred Scott Story- Mark Shurtleff
46. Twilight- Stephenie Meyer (my 2nd reading of this book)
47. The Ball's In Her Court- Heather Justesen
48. Unpublished book by Heather Justesen (can't wait 'til it comes out!)
49. New Moon- Stephenie Meyer (2nd reading-still enjoyed it!)
50. Wings- Aprilynne Pike**
51. The Christmas List- Richard Paul Evans**
52. Beauty- Robin McKinley**
53. A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors- contributing author C.L. Beck
54. A Cup of Comfort for Horse Lovers- contributing author C.L. Beck
55. Mormon Mishaps& Mischief- C.L. Beck & D.N. Giles

*I just thought that I really should add one more book to this list to make it an even number. Especially since I've read this book about 10 times in the past year.
56. Wrong Number- Rachelle J. Christensen (publication date, March 2010)

Yep, first I wrote it, then I've read and revised my book, polishing it for its print date. Stay tuned for more news on this and future book giveaways!

Hopefully I remembered to write them all down--quite a list and there's a lot of favorites on there. I'm excited for what's in store for Rachelle's Book Club in 2010!


*I received several free copies of books to review during 09 and it was fun to see all the different writing styles of various authors. Receiving free books doesn't influence my reviews--I'll always tell you what I think.

Afternoon Sewing Project: Shirt Makeover Tutorial

On the afternoon of New Year's Eve I decided I'd better patch some more of my daughter's pants before school resumed. I posted a tutorial about how I do that here.

When I pulled out my fabric scraps to let the girls choose what I should use for the patch, they got really excited about the possibilities. They wanted me to make them new pants from the scraps. I tried to explain that you had to have more fabric to make a whole pair of pants.
Then I remembered all the cute makeover projects I'd seen on Make It And Love It

I ran up to my closet, pulled out two shirts that I hadn't worn in over a year and went to work making two darling dresses for my girls.

This is one of those skin-tight shirts and so it took less than twenty minutes to pull together for my four-year-old.

I tried it on her, pinned it up, sewed, and cut off the excess. I pulled up the tops of the shoulders to decrease the neckline to the right size.

I love these cute stripes on my brown-eyed girl!

Gracie's dress took a few more steps because the shirt was kind of odd to begin with. I purchased it for $1 on clearance at Wal-Mart, yes that's one dollar, people!
I tried it on her several times and she was very worried about getting stuck with pins. I sewed up the sleeves to fit her arms and then I had to work with the neckline which was designed kind of like a cowl-neck top.

I had some beautiful lace in a box of sewing scraps that I used to get this dress to the right length--just at her knee.

La Piece De Resistance was the brooch that came with the shirt. Gracie thought that was fabulous. She said that she looked like a princess!

My girls were all decked out for our New Year's party and love their new dresses. So do I, because you can't beat FREE!
I'm excited to try this again. I need to clean out my closet and see what else I can find. Do you have some sewing projects on your to do list this year? What gets your creative bug going?

Happy New Year 2010

I'm always excited for the start of a new year because, I'll admit it, I love achieving goals. I'm a dreamer, but in a good way, I reach for those dreams until they're mine and I think that's the best feeling in the world!

I create a list of goals/to do list for my home, craft projects, physical fitness, etc. and then I create a Writing Goals page as well. I'm currently working on my 5 year plan--something I haven't done recently. I subscribe to Dave Farland/Wolverton's Daily Kick in the Pants for Writers and I loved the message he recently sent.
Dave said to write down the things you'd like to do in 5 years and then do 3 things to make your dreams come true. Do something now to make your dream a possibility and then plan for two other things you can do in the coming months to make that dream a reality.

You have to create a plan, a list of goals, a dream-sheet, whatever you want to call it, to be successful.

I believe this is the reason I'm where I'm at today--because I set goals, made a plan to achieve them, and didn't take no for an answer. I've still got a lot of stretching to do to reach more of my goals, but that's what makes life worth living.

I hope you've made some great goals for this new year. If you haven't, jot down a few and break them into smaller, manageable steps to help you see how you can achieve it.

My goal is to write two more books this year and finish up a third that's already in progress. That sounds a bit daunting to me (and probably to my critique group, ha, ha!). But if I break down those goals over the whole year, I can see just how I'll achieve it.
I'll spend time outlining my novel. I'll set word count goals each month to finish a 75,000 word manuscript within a set period of time. I'll plan for revising time and begin outlining my next novel.

Do you see what I mean? Keep a copy of your goals posted where you can see it daily and be reminded of it. I had a goal sheet with 30 items during the year 2009, some of them I knew I'd achieve and others were dreams, something I could work for, but in the end would be out of my hands. It's amazing and exciting how many of those items I achieved. There were several I didn't quite make, and so I'm considering them for this year's list and what I need to do to reach my goals.

I'd love to hear about your progress. How do you set goals? What helps you to achieve them?
What's your BIG dream for your 5 year plan?

My BIG dream is to be a New York Times Bestselling author. I'm taking the first baby steps this March when my first suspense novel, Wrong Number, will be released.

I hope you have a happy new year full of big dreams, great goals, and exciting thrills!

Rachelle's Book Club

Here is a list of all of the reviews I've posted on this blog. There's some great books here, hope you enjoy them. Click on the links to read the review.

Rachelle's Book Club

• A Stranger for Christmas by Carol Lynn Pearson
• Am I Not A Man: The Dred Scott Story by Mark Shurtleff
• Books Rachelle Read during 2008
• By Love or By Sea - Rachel Rager
• Counting Stars by Michele Paige Holmes
• Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
• Fame, Glory, and other things on my to do list by Janette Rallison
• Family Record Keeper by Mary Greathouse
  
• Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
• Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
• Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Heaven Scent by Rebecca Talley
• How to Promote Your Home Business by John McLain
• Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
• Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena
• Mara Daughter of the Nile By Eloise Jarvis
• Master by Toni Sorenson
• Organize As You Go by Marie Ricks
• Pickup Games by Marcia Mickelson
• Please, No Zits! by Anne Bradshaw
• Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury
• Room for Two by Abel Keogh
• Sheep's Clothing by Josi Kilpack
• Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon
• Strangling Your Husband is Not and Option by Merrilee Boyack
• The 13th Reality by James Dashner
• The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me by Richard Paul Evans
• The Ball's In Her Court by Heather Justesen
• The Book of Mormon
• The Forgotten Warrior by Kathi Oram Peterson
• The Great Gatsby--Great American Novel?
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
• The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson
• The Watson's Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte